School is recognised for focus on poverty and the environment

A school in Durham Diocese has scooped a prestigious award for its focus on poverty and environmental matters.

Holy Trinity Church of England Academy in South Shields has achieved Bronze Award status in Christian Aid’s Global Neighbours Scheme, an accreditation programme which helps pupils learn about global poverty and the Christian responsibility to tackle it.

Pupils have engaged in a multitude of initiatives, which include taking a tough stance on the amount of plastic used in packaging, a subject they have written to their local MP to raise awareness of. They even challenged a shopkeeper over the amount of plastic being used.

The children have also supported their local foodbank – bringing in items to donate while organising a themed worship about the project in school to raise awareness of the challenges facing people in our communities.

In addition, they have also supported the Send My Friend to School Campaign, which is part of a global initiative working to ensure quality education for children across 90 countries. 

Headteacher Tina Murphy said: “We wanted to make sure our pupils have a good understanding of what is happening with our planet.

“They have raised awareness that people are disadvantaged in different ways because they recognise we can all make a difference with our actions and voices, both locally and globally.

“We are very proud of our pupils. They really have embraced all of the work they have done to achieve the Global Neighbours Bronze Award and we will be continuing on this journey.”

Alison Brown, Global Neighbours Schools Programme Officer at Christian Aid, said: “The Global Neighbours Scheme was launched in partnership with the Church of England’s Education Office with a vision of helping young people understand more about the inequalities in this world and helping them to become courageous advocates for change.”

Any primary school in England can join the Global Neighbours scheme. There are three levels of accreditation: bronze, silver and gold. These are verified by independent assessors, who look for evidence across five areas: school leadership, teaching and learning; collective worship and spiritual development; pupil participation; and community engagement.